Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Malted Milk Chocolate Buttercream

One for the books, folks. The 1st annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap was a smashing success.

But I’ll be completely honest with you.

I did it all for the cookies.

All the work, all the logistics, all the worry… all worth it. I really want to thank everyone who participated. To everyone who baked cookies, shipped cookies, received cookies, ate cookies… thank you for helping to make this quite possibly the most epic cookie swap, EVER. We even made front page news! Some quick math revealed that over 22,000 cookies were sent around the world as part of this swap! The thought of that many cookies flitting across the country and around the world makes my heart happy. :)

I got three boxes myself, including a surprise from my co-organizer, Julie of The Little Kitchen. Which made me laugh because it was entirely unplanned, and yet we both decided, independently, to send each other a box of cookies. Great minds think exactly alike, apparently. :) Also making an appearance in my mailbox? Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Bourbon Chocolate Ganache (top left) from Tripp of It’s Tripp and Polvorones (Mexican almond cookies, bottom left) from Suzy of Frosting for Dinner. Thanks guys! Your cookies were (*burp*) very much enjoyed!

The cookies I sent were these delectable sandwich cookies. Although it took me a few tries to get the cookie part right (a sandwich cookie must meet certain, very specific characteristics), from the first bite I knew the flavor combination was a winner. One of my all-time favorite cookies for sure. Chewy dark chocolate cookies with a hint of salt, filled with creamy malted milk chocolate buttercream. Sweet.

If you didn’t get a chance to participate this year, be sure to sign up for our notifications list by visiting http://eepurl.com/hsS-Y. We will be sending an email blast out as soon as things start gearing up for next years’ swap (and yes, there WILL BE a next year!)

Stay tuned, as Julie and I are currently collecting all of the cookie recipes. We’ll be posting a massive roundup later this week. If you aren’t hungry for cookies already, you will be. I promise.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix until no traces of the dry ingredients remain, scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure that everything is fully incorporated.

Drop dough by the tablespoon onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Roll into smooth 1-inch balls, then flatten slightly with the palm of your hand, forming even 1/2-inch-thick disks. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until cookies are puffed and set. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet (they will deflate slightly), then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare filling, melt milk chocolate in a microwave or double boiler over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add cooled milk chocolate and beat until smooth.

Combine heavy cream and malted milk powder in a small bowl and mix until powder is dissolved. Add to milk chocolate mixture, along with vanilla and salt, and beat until light and fluffy, another 2 to 3 minutes. At this point you may need to add more cream or more powdered sugar as needed to achieve the desired consistency.

To assemble, spread or pipe about 1 tablespoon of filling onto half of the cookies, then top with remaining cookies. Press lightly until filling spreads to edges. Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Wow, those look charming! I bet they tasted great too. And aren’t those cookies boxes great? I used the pocketed box as well. Fit my cookies perfectly and provided a lot of stability to the box. Except mine were just white and not as cute as yours!

OMG!!!! Congrats Lindsey on making the local paper! I don’t know how you find the time for it all. Great swap everyone! cannot wait until next year! I will definately be making these chocolate sandwich cookies!

Lindsay they look so beautiful! The cookies, and how you wrapped them, just gorgeous!

Congrats on the paper and on the EPIC job you did in organizing it. I truly cannot even imagine the details you went thru to do this..wow. If I wasnt traveling this month, I would have done it..but clearly you had plenty of participation. I only wish I coulda cookie sampled.

Lindsay – your cookies are simply stunning! Malted anything is on the top of my favorites and I need to make these over the holidays. Thank you again for organizing this fun and amazing food blogging event. Hats off to you and Julie – you did a brilliant job! It was a lot of fun participating!! Happy Holidays!!!

What wonderful looking cookies. Thanks to you and Julie for putting this together. As a new blogger I thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet new people and to participate in something so very epic.
I am already looking forward to next year.
Thanks so much for all the work you put into the swap!

Oh I was wondering, I got one batch of cookies from a Stacey, but I don’t think I know a single food blogger named Stacey. Could you direct me to who to thank for the delicious cookies she sent me? I feel terrible not knowing who she is :-(

Thanks for having this cookie swap! I had so much fun! It’s such a wonderful treat when you get a cookie surprise in the mail! I cannot wait till we do this again next year! Thank you again for all of your hard work, it was so appreciated!

Hey Lindsay, your cookies are beautiful and I had so much fun last night at the party for all the Nashville Bloggers. The “cookie swap” was a great way to get in the Holiday mood for me and I am sure for many other bloggers. We all tend to get caught up in our work and the hectic-ness of the season and forget to just have fun…which the “swap” was all about….not to mention I love cookies!

My oh my! I’m going to frame this receipe. This look so amazing. I Love cookies esp. chocolate chip. What a wonderful Christmas gift to us. I’m very interested in your cookie receipes coming even if there is a fee. Let me know. I’m a true follower now!

I’ve been following your cookie swap with a mixture of admiration and jealousy…I wish I could have participated! Any chance of including the UK next time round? Your cookies look gorgeous, as do the ones you received in the post. Yum.

Dear Lindsay, I think I love you! Thank you for picking me or Thank the Gods for pairing me with you! These we’re quite the hit in our household and probably one of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. Congratulations o n a successful event!

You are SO welcome!! Glad you enjoyed them! :) One of the best parts of this whole thing was Julie and I managed to make it so that our own matches were a surprise, just like everyone else’s! Made it so much fun for us. :)

I LOVE this idea! I was too late to join this year but have already signed up and confirmed for next year. I can’t wait! Your blog is lovely, I can’t wait to spend more time here. I am a new blogger and can’t wait to become closer to those within this awesome community. Thanks for coming up with such a great idea.

Lindsay, boy am I glad that you were assigned me for the cookie swap. These were amazing! I’ve been waiting for you to post the recipe ever since I first tasted them. And you’re right about the hint of salt: they make the cookie! Thanks again!

Can you please share where you purchased those adorable cookies boxes with the dividers? I just saved your site…..I absolutely need to come back when I am not running out the door! enticing photography!!
Thanks, Megan

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Welcome to Love & Olive Oil, the culinary adventures of Lindsay and Taylor. We're all about food that is approachable but still impressive, unique and creative yet still true to its culinary roots. (More...)